Mechanical musical instrument



; (No Modem 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' 0. H. ARNO.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. No. 245,113. Patented Aug. 2,1881.

s/f/y/l,Y

. l i fd mIf//// JC- x .CMMI u l llmmnmwwflu *H m uw@ Il IIII'I 'QA' U Ym, |a I i 1| 1 j l i lh* j] E lll l l l ljiWU Tdi u/ i IJKEH-gdl l I 11z. El i g G .1 1^ Ll Lulli-I i I i .7 n E: 1i

v .M --f-TIF MMD Kul wl 9G H U l L l D y[,ID O I 111-] www .hC-Amm d I yl NmmmuuunlHIHMIIZW 'Ty mp1 #770/2343 f N. PETERS. PlmwLIh D. C. r/

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0. H. ARNO.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 245,113. Patented Aug.v2,1881.

vof perforated paper through the instrument,

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICEo OLIVER H. ARNO, OF VILMINGTON, ASSIGNOR TOTHE AMERICAN AUTO- MATIC ORGAN COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUM ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 245,113, dated August2, 1881.

Application filed May 6, 1381.

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIvEE' H. ARNO, of Wilmington, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments, ot` which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to that class of mechanical musical instrumentsin which the playing is controlled by the passage of a sheet andparticularly to such instruments as employ a series of reeds and bellowsas the sound-producing mechanism.

The invention consists of the combination of a sound-producing mechanismcomposed of a series ot' reeds, each arranged in a separate chamber,which several chambers are arranged in a common line or row, and of anarrangement of bellows for forcing air through such reeds, of achambered block, and of an air passage or passages from the bellows,located between such chambered block and the bellows, and all in suchmanner that the air in passing from the bellows to the reed-chambersshall first pass through such air-passages to the chamber of thechambered block, and from thence to the reed-chambers, all substantiallyas hereinafter described.

In the accompanying plates of drawings the present invention isillustrated, in Plate l Figurel being a vertical section in thedirection of the line of travel of the strip of perforated paper 5 Fig.2, a plan view with the ehambered block which is above the perforatedstrip broken out in its central portion. In Plate 2 Fig. 3 is anelevation at one side of the upper portion only, and with the casing orbox at each end in vertical section. Fig. 4 is a view in detail, as willhereinafter appear. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line x a', Fig. 1.Fig. G is avertical section on liney y, Figs.

.l and 5; Fig. 7, a view in detail ot' the said chambered block.

In the drawings, A A and B B represent four feed-bellows, arranged inpairs horizontally side by side, and those of each pair one abovetheother. These several bellows are constructed to take in air and eachto force it (No model.)

cal openings or chambers, d, arranged side by side and at equaldistances apart, separated from each other by a wall, f. Each verticalchamber cl contains an organ-reed, g, arranged vertically and oppositeto a side opening, h, all so that the reed will be sounded by thepassage of air into and through its vertical chamber d, and thence outat its side opening, h.

The several parts above speci tied are arranged and secured in asuitable box or casing, J,and when so secured the block E, having' thevertical opening Z1 and reed-chambers d, has its face Z uppermost and ina horizontal plane, and it makes a rest for the travel of the strip Fot' perforated paper over it and through 'feed-roll: ers G, arranged asordinarily for such travel of the paper strip to be from the upwardliaring end ot' the vertical opening b toward the upper open end ofthereedehambers d.

The feed-bellows A B and 'force-bellows D are arranged to be worked fromthe turning ot' the feed-rollers G, as usual, and all for the forcingoi' air from the forcebellows upward through the vertical opening orslot b, conneeting with the force-bellows, as has been described.

H is a block chambered out, as at m, between its two ends, a, andlocated over and at rest at both ends a and sides o of its chamber, uponthe. strip of perforated paper, all so that said chamber m will coverand include in width between its two sides and its ends the opening bleading to the force-bellows D and the series of reed-chambers d, andthus allow the air which is forced by the force-bellows through theopening b into the chamber m to pass int-o the series of reed-chambersd. In this passage ot' the air from the force-bellows it enters thechamber m above the perforated strip through such ot' its perforationsas are from time to time in the travel of the perforated strip over thecommunicating passage or opening b for the force-bellows, and it passesfrom such chamber through such perforations of the perforated strip asare from time to time in the travel of the perforated strip over thereed-chamber or openings d, and thus the reeds' corresponding to theperforations so passing are sounded, and as a consequence the tune isplayed.

p is a pin projecting from each end, and q a bent spring located at eachend of the chambcred block H. These bent springs q are at one end eachfixed to side pieces, U, attached to block E, and at the other end, 0',each made of a hook shape, suitable to engage with the pin p of thechambcred block at each end, and in a manner that when so engaged topress downwardlyT upon such pins, and thus upon the chambcred block H,and for such pins p to be disengaged from the springs q and placed on arest, fw, upon fixed blocks K. on side pieces, U, located at each end ofthe chambcred block H, in suitable position therefor, and thus liftedand held out of contact with the strip of perforated paper-as, forinstance, as shown in Fig. el.

The arrangement of springs q and pins above described, in combinationwith the chambcred block H, obviously secures an elastic and yieldingpressure of such block upon the strip of perforated paper when it isplaced at rest thereon.

The chambcred block H within its chamber carries'a rod, s, which may beeither fixed or arranged to revolve in position to bear upon the stripof perforated paper, and through it upon the reed-block E, at and alongand between the reed-chambers d and the force-bellows passage b thereof.

,L is a lid of the casing. This lid is hinged at and along one edge, t,and at its other edge, u, it is arranged to close against a shoulder,QJ, of block E, or to be opened therefrom for the free passage or escapeof the sounds of the reeds from the casing.

lll is a bent spring, fixed at one end to the casing J, and at its otherend making a rest for the lid L, which,by its action, is thus keptclosed.

O is a vertical pusher-rod, playing through suitable guides of thecasing, and at its lower end resting upon a lever, l), which turns upona fulcrum at Q, and at R engages with a notch of a block, S, upon theunder side of the lid. Pressing thepusherrod downwardly works the leverP, so that it swings the lid downward against its spring, and thus thelid is opened. This lid, with its arrangement for opening and closingthe same, is what might be termed the swell-board of this instrument,and it is plain that the degree of loudness of the sounds of the reedsis in accordance with the extent the lid is opened or closed.

The air-passage from each feed-bellows to the forcebellows is in aseries of separate and distinct passages, as shown in Figs. 5 and moreparticularly, which enables a flap-valve, T, of leather, to be used incommon for such several passages for each feed-bellows, as it securesintermediate rests, as at c2, between the passage a, for the valve tohold it against being drawn or forced inwardly, all as is obviouswithout further explanation.

The chambcred block may be made stationary or otherwise-rigid instead ofyielding, as

has been described. Again, it may be con` structed to rest at cach endupon the rests beyond the edges of the paper, instead of on the paperitself.

The paper-strip may be provided with a line or lines ot' perforationsfor the passage of air into the chamber H of the block, and independentand separate from the lines of perforaticns which run in the linescoincident with the position of the reed-chambers, and the passage ofair from the force-bellows to the chamber may be limited to suchindependent and separate line or lines of perforations by a simpleconstruction of the air-passage in divisions corresponding thereto.Again, the pas sage of air from the force-bellows to the chamber H maybe also secured by passages leadin g from the force-bellows at andbeyond either one or both edges of the paper strip.

Wvith the eha1nbered-block H placed upon its rests w at each end, theinstrument is free for the ready insertion or removal of the per foratedstrip.

The rod within the chambcred block H, and which bears upon theperforated strip between the air-passage b and reed-chambers d, contnesthe paper closely to its rest l, and prevents air passing between it andthe rest from the air-passage of the bellows to the reedchambers.

As herein shown and described, the paper strip is held to its restthrough the pressure of the chambcred block H thereon; but obviously,forthe operation ofthe chambcred block herein described as to the passageof air, this is not necessary, and could be accomplished by other andoutside and independent means, if so desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. A series of reeds arranged in separate chambers and bellows forforcing air through such reeds, in combination with a chamber, m,passa-ge or passages b, leading from the bellows, and a perforatedmusic-sheet, all constructed and arranged to operate as described, forthe passage of the air to the reeds through the chamber m, substantiallyas specified.

2. A series of reeds arranged in separate chambers and bellows forforcing air through such reeds, in combination with a perforatedmusic-sheet, air-passage l), leading from the bellows to chamber m, inwhich is a rod, s, resting upon the blocl; between said reedchambers andsaid air-passages, all construct IOO IIO

IZO

ed and arranged together for the 'passage of lche air to the reedsthrough the chamber m, substantially as described.

3. The feed-bellows A B, having a divid- 5 ing-board, C, provided with aseries of airpassages, in combination with the force-bellows D, arrangedat the end of the passages a in the feed-bellows, and nap-valve T,controlling the communication between the force-bellows and the saidpassages, substantially as de- 1o scribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set vmy hand in the presence of twosubscribing Witnesses.

OLIVER H. ARNO. Witnesses:

EDWIN W. BROWN, WM. S. BELLoWs.

